{"id":805,"date":"2025-06-12T14:43:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T12:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aidssh.instant.al\/?page_id=805"},"modified":"2025-10-09T09:20:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T07:20:31","slug":"rrjeti-nderkombetar-i-kujteses","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aidssh.al\/en\/autoriteti\/bashkepunime\/rrjeti-nderkombetar-i-kujteses\/","title":{"rendered":"International Memory Network"},"content":{"rendered":"
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International Memory Network<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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AIDSSH MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN NETWORK OF OFFICIAL AUTHORITIES FOR INFORMATION ON SECRET POLICE DOCUMENTS<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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History<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Creation of the Network<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The European Network of Official Authorities Responsible for Secret Police Files was established in 2008. Its seven founding members were Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. In Germany, demands made during the Peaceful Revolution to open the files and make them accessible to the public were fulfilled when Germany reunified on October 3, 1990, and the Special Commissioner for Stasi Records began his work. The position of the Federal Commissioner for Stasi Records was created when the Stasi Records Act was adopted on December 29, 1991. Other Eastern European member states took a bit longer to start. Poland began opening files in 1998\/2000, Romania in 2000, Hungary between 1997 and 2003, Slovakia in 2003, Bulgaria in 2003, and the Czech Republic in 2007.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Creation of AIDSSH<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In April 2015, the law \"On the Right to Information on the Documents of the former State Security of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania\" was approved by the Albanian Parliament. This law concerns the collection, administration, processing, use, and disclosure of documents of the former State Security from the period 1944-1991. On November 17 and November 24, 2016, the Albanian Parliament also voted in five members of the Authority for Information on the Files of the former State Security as well as the chairperson of this Authority, thus paving the way for the establishment and functioning of this important institution dedicated to informing citizens and confronting their past during the totalitarian regime in Albania.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Conditions for Becoming a Member of the Network<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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a) The institution must be a government organization.<\/p>

b) It must be designated by the parliament and operate based on specific legal norms.<\/p>

c) It must be independent from other government archival administrations, have independent authority over documents formerly classified by police agencies, and make these documents accessible.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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AIDSSH\u2019s Participation in the Network and Membership Application<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1. Since its establishment in 2017, AIDSSH has participated in the European Network meetings with observer status. The Network includes archival and memory institutions from Eastern Europe that carry out academic and commemorative activities in their respective countries, starting with the founding members\u2014Germany, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland\u2014and expanding to observer countries with archival institutions from the former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union.<\/p>

2. On September 25, 2019, Albania requested full membership in the Network through the Authority for Information on the Documents of the former State Security, at the meeting held in Bratislava.<\/p>

3. The request was accepted by the member countries, and the decision was postponed to the next meeting, which, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was delayed until 2021.<\/p>

4. On January 28, 2021, Albania, represented by AIDSSH, was unanimously accepted as a full member of the Network. According to representatives of the German Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records (BSTU), \u201cThere could be no better candidate than Albania, which is opening the communist-era files and revealing history behind secret documents, collaborating with public and local institutions, academics, interest groups, human rights organizations, and benefiting from the experience of its counterparts.\u201d On the same day, Ukraine was accepted as an observer member in the Network.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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BENEFITS OF AIDSSH FROM NETWORK MEMBERSHIP\nThe right to vote in decision-making<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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AIDSSH is the only Albanian institution that is a member, representing Albania.<\/p>

\u2013 As a member of the Network, it has the right to vote on granting Guest Member Status, accepting new members, and issuing essential documents.
\u2013 As a member of the Network, it can propose a vote on essential documents.
\u2013 The leading institution submits a proposal for a vote regarding the acceptance of a new member or a new guest member at the annual conference.\nBenefits and new opportunities brought by this cooperation:\n\u2013 Cooperation and membership in the Network bring practical benefits and opportunities for easier access to archival documents from institutions in other countries.
\u2013 Expansion of the study space or opportunities for research abroad for scholars.
\u2013 Sharing knowledge and experiences with other post-communist countries that are in the early stages of establishing institutions dealing with their authoritarian past.
\u2013 Opportunities for collaboration with museums, organizations, and institutions, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe, dedicated to illuminating the totalitarian past.
\u2013 Collaboration in organizing exhibitions, conferences, and international seminars focusing on key moments or themes in the shared history of the countries.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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MEMBER COUNTRIES AND THEIR NAMES<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1. Poland: IPN (1998\/2000) \u2013 The Institute of National Remembrance \u2013 Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation (Instytut Pami\u0119ci Narodowej, IPN)\nWebsite: Instytut Pami\u0119ci Narodowej<\/p>

2. Germany Der Bundesbeauftragte f\u00fcr die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (BStU) The Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic<\/p>

3. Romania: CNSAS (2000) -The National Council for the Study of Securitate Archives (Consiliul National pentru Studierea Arhivelor Securitatii \u2013 CNSAS) Webseite: Consiliul National pentru Studierea Arhivelor Securitatii<\/p>

4. Hungary: ABTL (1997\/2003) \u201cHistorical Archives of the Hungarian State Security Service\u201d (ABTL).<\/p>

5. Slovakia: UPN (2003) \u2013 The Slovakian \u201cInstitute of National Memory\u201d (Ustav Pam\u00e4ti Naroda \u2013 UPN) Website: Ustav Pam\u00e4ti Naroda<\/p>

6. Bulgaria: COMDOS (2003) \u201cCommission for access to and disclosure of documents and on announcing affiliation of Bulgarian citizens with the state security and intelligence services of the Bulgarian national army\u201d (COMDOS). Website: COMDOS<\/p>

7 Czech Republic: USTR (2007) The Institute for the Research of Totalitarian Regimes and the Security Services Archive (USTR) began operations in February 2008. Website: \u00dastav pro studium totalitnich rezim\u00fa<\/p>

8. Albania: AIDSSH Autoriteti p\u00ebr Informim mbi Dokumentet e ish Sigurimit t\u00eb Shetit 1944-1991 Website: https:\/\/aidssh.al\/<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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GUEST MEMBERS:<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Since 2013, the Network has granted guest status to several institutions at its annual conferences. This year, Ukraine was also added to this list.<\/p>